APGAR FOUNDATION, INC. - "Expanding Horizons and Preserving Traditions"

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Programs at the following universities received grants during 2018:

Abigail Adams Institute (Harvard University), American University, Arizona State University, Clemson University, Florida Atlantic University, Hostos Community College-CUNY, MIT, University of Arizona, University of Colorado-Boulder, Utah Valley University, and Western Carolina University.

During 2018, a total of $596,650 were granted to eleven faculty programs at universities and eight student outreach programs at non-profits committed to growing a deeper understanding of the Western tradition. Successful programs were chosen for their focus on excellence in teaching and student engagement.

Core to all programs is their desire to explore the values of Western Civilization and the American experiment in liberty. We are grateful and proud of our supported programs for enabling students to deepen their understanding of the core ideas of our society and its traditions and the contemporary challenges to its flourishing. The foundation seeks to support faculty programs that provide students with a conceptual framework, guided curricular, and extracurricular opportunities to develop a well-grounded understanding of the roots, its ideals, its successes, and its shortcomings of this country and the culture which gave rise to it.

Below, please find examples of successful programs achieving the goals of the Apgar Foundation. They are chosen for their illustrative value, in no particular order:

The Abigail Adams Institute provides a wide range of humanistic education to Harvard students, young alumni, and professionals including reading and discussion groups, workshops, lectures, conversations with faculty, intellectual retreats, and mentoring. The Apgar Foundation grant is helping deepen and expand academic year offerings for undergraduates for more robust and at the same time civil intellectual discourse: "The Great Conversation", which examines the question "How Should We Live" through the classics of Western Civilization; "Fridays with Faculty" where an invited Harvard professor shares insights and experiences about his or her own intellectual path; and day-long colloquium-themed events such as "Educating Millennials for Ethical Leadership", "Building Trust through Meaningful Work", and "The Role of Dignity in Business Management."

At the American University, the Apgar Foundation supports the Political Theory Institute. The Institute's signature program is a political theory lecture series. While hosting nationally-known political theorists, by far the most important work is carried out in the AU undergraduate classrooms. PRI offers a full range of political theory classes (Ancient, Modern, Contemporary, American) and several more specialized classes: "Conservative Political Thought", "Feminism", and the "Idea of America in European Eyes", for example. Having built a community of undergraduates interested in political theory through offered classes, an annual essay contest and private seminars with invited speakers supplement their engagement, letting participants examine this community, and build loyalty and support for each other beyond graduation. PTI is able to help students prepare for, and successfully place them in, internships, jobs, law school, and graduate school.

At the University of Colorado-Boulder, the Apgar Foundation supports activities at the Center for Western Civilization. The influence Western Civilization had on every continent is unparalleled. In order to understand it, students are propelled to promote human civilization and ideas about religion, science, politics and art. At the Center, this learning process reaches across dozens of departments and programs through a series of debates, lectures, and panel discussions. The Center holds competitive calls across departments to offer matching funds for events most in sync promoting aspects of Western Civilization. Recordings of events at the Center are made available via the YouTube Channel, and reach far beyond the event setting to build strong connections with a broader circle of students and the Boulder community.

At Florida Atlantic University, the Apgar Foundation is supporting the Civics Education Project (CEP). CEP was launched at a maximum security prison in South Bay, FL. three years ago, to (a) reduce the recidivism rate of returning citizens and (b) to positively impact the prison culture. The quadrivium curriculum includes courses in civics, ethics, economics and literature. Each course has twelve sessions, during which students are assigned books and other reading materials. The sessions include a lecture, followed by a question and answer session. The curriculum is designed to teach students about individual responsibility and responsible citizenship. Upon completion of the quadrivium, students are awarded a certificate of achievement. CEP currently has over 200 students inmates on the waiting list.